Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone. So, now that the Trump Xi [00:02] meeting in China is behind us, the [00:04] attention turns back to Iran and the [00:07] question of what happens next. You know, [00:09] Trump has been threatening and saying [00:11] it's going to be really bad for you and [00:13] we're going to we're going to go back to [00:14] strikes if they don't make a deal and [00:16] then he keeps extending the ceasefire. [00:18] And that's emboldening the Iranians. [00:20] We've talked about that a lot. It's [00:21] giving them a sense that time is on [00:23] their side. Their strategy all along has [00:25] been to drag it out and it from their [00:27] perspective it's working. They know that [00:29] Trump doesn't really want to resume [00:31] kinetic action. [00:33] So, they're trying to take advantage of [00:34] that. They're also saber-rattling from [00:36] their side. We're going to get into all [00:37] of this in this video. So, let's just [00:39] get right to it. [00:41] So, here we'll start with this [00:43] with this tweet from Gunther Egelman. [00:45] Iran just dropped the most pathetic [00:47] propaganda video yet. A bunch of regime [00:50] goons in mosques getting defense [00:52] training while one clown waves a rifle [00:55] and screams, "Trump, I have come to [00:56] destroy you." Are these mullahs serious [00:59] right now? [01:00] Okay, let's take a look at this video [01:01] he's talking about. [01:04] has been showing video today of [01:06] government supporters. Some receiving [01:09] defense trading inside of mosques, [01:11] weapons and all. [01:13] And one Iranian had a more direct [01:15] message for Donald Trump. Listen to [01:17] this. [01:17] Khamenei Trump, you cannot take the [01:20] Strait of Hormuz from Iran. I have come [01:22] to destroy you. [01:25] So, with the strait still blocked to [01:27] shipping, authorities in Abu Dhabi say a [01:29] drone attack caused a fire close to a [01:32] nuclear power plant just west of the [01:33] city. No injuries or major damage has [01:36] been reported, but the UAE says the [01:38] targeting of a nuclear power plant, [01:40] whether it's by [01:41] the principal perpetrator, as it says, [01:44] or one of its proxies [01:47] Okay. [01:48] So, they're So, they're putting out [01:50] these propaganda videos, apparently [01:52] training people to use weapons, and this [01:55] is also on Iranian state media. Here's a [01:57] a story from WANA from Iranian state [02:00] media from yesterday. [02:02] And look what it says here, "Weapons [02:04] training on Iranian television [02:06] programs." [02:08] Look at this news item. The broadcasting [02:10] of several television programs on the [02:12] Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting [02:15] centered on weapon utilization training [02:17] and displaying a military atmosphere. [02:20] And it has been accompanied by [02:22] widespread react widespread reactions in [02:24] media and social networks in recent [02:26] days. In one of these programs broadcast [02:28] on the Ofog channel, an educational [02:30] segment related to handling a [02:32] Kalashnikov rifle was shown. In this [02:35] item, an individual in military attire [02:38] and with a masked face explains the [02:40] method of preparing and firing the [02:41] weapon to the host. In the final part, [02:44] the program's host fires toward an image [02:46] of the United Arab Emirates flag placed [02:49] within the studio decor. In reaction to [02:52] this program, an Israeli journalist [02:54] wrote that Iran state channel Ofog [02:56] broadcast an instructional video on how [02:59] to use a Kalashnikov in action that [03:01] according to him could be both a sign of [03:03] Tehran's concern regarding the [03:05] possibility of renewed US military [03:07] action and be considered an attempt to [03:09] instill an atmosphere of emergency and [03:11] alert in public opinion. He described [03:14] this approach as a rather clumsy [03:16] display. [03:17] I'm not so sure. [03:18] Simultaneously, some other programs of [03:20] Iran state television went on the air [03:22] with the presence of hosts who held [03:24] weapons or spoke of their readiness to [03:27] participate in war. [03:29] Mobina Nasiri, a host on channel 3, [03:31] appeared in one of these programs [03:32] holding a weapon and announced that if [03:34] necessary, she would participate in the [03:36] war along with the other women and they [03:38] would join the war as a Johnfada. [03:41] Johnfada is the title of a campaign [03:43] launched in recent weeks following [03:45] threats regarding a US and Israeli [03:47] ground attack on Iran with the aim of [03:49] declaring the Iranian people's readiness [03:51] to participate in confronting the US and [03:54] Israel and defending Iran. So far, more [03:57] than 31 million Iranians have registered [04:00] in this campaign. We've talked about [04:02] this in some previous videos, the John [04:03] Farda campaign. It is a completely [04:05] implausible number that a third of all [04:08] men, women, and children [04:09] have registered for this campaign cuz if [04:12] Iran has a total of 85 to 90 million [04:14] people and a percentage of those are the [04:16] elderly and children [04:19] and how How was it that 30 million [04:21] Iranians signed up for this campaign? [04:22] It's obviously absurd. Segments of these [04:24] programs were were republished in [04:26] domestic media and social networks, [04:28] drawing mixed reactions. Some users [04:30] evaluated this type of programming as a [04:32] sign of preparing public opinion in the [04:35] tense atmosphere of the region, while [04:37] others criticized the normalization of [04:39] displaying weapons in the national [04:40] media. [04:42] Now it quotes Jackson Hinkle, who's just [04:44] like this anti-semite social media [04:46] influencer. Jackson Hinkle, an American [04:49] political analyst, wrote in a post on [04:51] the social network X that Iranian state [04:53] television is training people on how to [04:56] use a Kalashnikov within the framework [04:58] of preparation for a potential US ground [05:00] invasion. There's a lot of [05:03] strong suspicions that Jackson Hinkle [05:04] takes money from the Iranian regime. He [05:06] attended Hassan Nasrallah's funeral. [05:09] Weird guy. The broadcasting of these [05:11] programs takes place under circumstances [05:13] where Iran, the US, and Israel, [05:15] following about 40 days of direct [05:17] military conflict that began on February [05:20] 28th, are now in a state of fragile [05:22] ceasefire and indirect negotiations. [05:25] Although the attacks have stopped, [05:27] political and military officials on [05:28] different sides continue to warn about [05:30] the possibility of conflict resumption. [05:33] And the Iranian media space has also, [05:35] over the past days, increasingly [05:36] addressed the subject of public [05:38] readiness [05:39] public readiness and popular defense. [05:42] Okay, so [05:43] understand what's happening here. The [05:44] Iranian regime, you see this video that [05:46] Gunther Riegelman posted that we just [05:48] watched [05:49] uh with the you know the signs of uh [05:51] these these people in mosques with the [05:53] with the guns, the woman saying she's [05:54] going to destroy Trump. [05:56] And you have this article that I just [05:58] showed you in state media about how [06:00] they're training the population to use [06:02] Kalashnikovs and all these women and and [06:05] young people are are willing to take to [06:07] the streets to defend the homeland [06:09] should there be a US ground invasion. [06:11] This is all a way of signaling [06:13] to the US the greater and greater costs [06:15] of going in on the ground. You see this [06:16] is the this is the new play for the [06:18] regime. [06:20] They know [06:21] that the big sticking point in this [06:24] whole story [06:26] is that you cannot bring down the regime [06:28] without something happening on the [06:30] ground. You cannot bring it down from [06:31] the air. [06:33] And they are [06:35] they want to signal. Now, of course, [06:37] they don't think that they can beat the [06:39] US military in a fight. That's not what [06:40] it's about. [06:42] But they also know that the that the [06:43] American population has no stomach for [06:48] uh [06:49] for any conflict. [06:51] They have no stomach for casualties. [06:54] And that if soldiers start coming home [06:56] in body bags because there are troops on [06:57] the ground, it's going to be a very very [07:00] big problem [07:01] for Trump. [07:03] And uh yeah, that's So, that's what [07:06] that's what's actually that's what's [07:08] happening here. They want to make it [07:10] uh [07:10] they want to continue to remind the [07:13] Western media, American media, Trump, [07:16] the people around him [07:17] that there will be significant costs if [07:20] they move in on the ground. That's what [07:21] this is about. Okay. Uh and then we see [07:24] this also making it out to CNN, guns on [07:26] the television and in in Iran streets as [07:28] Trump renews war threats. This is from [07:30] today. As nightfall over Iran's [07:33] sprawling capital and the snowy peaks of [07:35] the Alborz Mountains fade into the [07:37] darkness, thousands of Iranians have [07:39] been routinely taken to the streets for [07:41] state-sponsored rallies aimed at [07:43] mobilizing supporters against the United [07:45] States. [07:46] Near Tajrish Tajrish Square in upscale [07:48] neighborhood of Tehran, the inevitable [07:50] chanting death to America blares over a [07:52] sea of Iranian flags while street [07:54] vendors hawk tea and souvenirs like [07:56] patriotic baseball caps and patches to [07:59] an enthusiastic crowd. [08:01] And [08:02] the one woman says she's ready to [08:04] sacrifice for her country. [08:06] They're all ready to sacrifice their [08:08] lives [08:09] for Iran. If the clock is ticking, then [08:11] they better get moving faster there [08:12] won't be anything left of them, wrote [08:13] Trump on Truth Social. One elderly man [08:16] carrying a makeshift placard offered to [08:18] translate his sign handwritten in Farsi. [08:21] Nuclear and missile technology is as [08:23] important as our borders, so we will [08:25] protect them. [08:28] We need nuclear power, clean energy, not [08:30] a bomb, he told me, a reference to [08:31] Iran's refusal to end its controversial [08:33] nuclear program, which Trump has made a [08:35] condition for ending the war. [08:37] Trump knows we don't have a bomb, but he [08:39] is attacking us anyway, he added. Now, [08:40] how much freedom of the press is there [08:42] in Iran? And I'm sure this person was [08:44] approved to talk to this reporter. [08:47] As swirling rumors and escalating fears [08:50] mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, [08:52] there's a growing sense of an [08:53] inevitability among many Iranians [08:55] among about the resumption of [08:57] hostilities. We know this war isn't [08:59] over, we know Trump is not really going [09:00] to negotiate, says Fatima. [09:04] He's going to be like, you do what I [09:05] tell you or I'm going to kill you, and [09:07] then he's going to attack us even if we [09:08] do as he says. [09:10] The rallies or night gatherings have [09:11] been taking place across the country [09:13] every evening for nearly 3 months, [09:15] essentially since the start of the war, [09:16] but recent days have seen the ominous [09:18] appearance of public gun kiosks. Look at [09:21] that. Where civilians are being offered [09:23] basic lessons in using weapons, a sign [09:25] of how the hardening Iranian authorities [09:27] are readying people for further [09:29] conflict. At one kiosk at Vanak Square, [09:32] we saw a woman dressed in black in a [09:34] black chador learning how to handle an [09:36] AK-47 assault rifle. [09:38] With a masked man in military fatigues [09:41] showing her how to how to strip and [09:42] assemble the weapon a few feet away, a [09:45] small girl played with an unloaded [09:47] Kalashnikov aiming the weapon into the [09:49] air before pulling the trigger and [09:50] handing the gun back to her smiling [09:52] instructor. [09:55] The general call to arms is also being [09:57] reiterated on state television with [09:58] several channels broadcasting their [10:00] hosts brandishing assault rifles. One [10:02] male anchor, Hossein Hosseini, on the [10:05] state-run Offak channel fired his rifle [10:07] on live television into the studio [10:10] ceiling after receiving a lesson from a [10:12] masked member of the IRGC. [10:15] Separately, a female Channel 3 [10:16] presenter, Mobina Nasiri, that's her [10:18] right here, [10:20] addressed viewers while grasping an [10:21] assault rifle with both hands. They sent [10:23] me a weapon from Vanak Square so that I, [10:25] too, like all of you, can learn how to [10:28] use it. But not all Iranians are gunning [10:30] for a fight. Just around the corner from [10:32] the rally on Tajrish Square, in tranquil [10:35] in a tranquil park near the Cinema [10:37] Museum of Iran, locals perused an [10:40] open-air bookstall and sipped tea. [10:43] "We We just want to live in a normal [10:45] country," they said. Okay. [10:47] So, you see here that they're really [10:49] ramping up these efforts to [10:51] you know, project that the people of [10:53] Iran are, you know, grassroots taking up [10:56] weapons, ready to fight, ready to, you [10:58] know, to make it difficult on any ground [11:00] incursion. That's what this is all [11:02] about. It's all about discouraging a [11:04] ground invasion. Now, before we go on, I [11:07] want to remind you tell you about an [11:10] important event that we are putting on [11:13] at Israel 365 Action [11:15] uh over the course [11:17] I'm sorry, on Wednesday, Wednesday, May [11:19] 20th, just a couple days away, [11:22] and that is going to be at 1:00 p.m. [11:24] Eastern Time, 8:00 p.m. Israel Time, a [11:26] webinar, Will America First Stand With [11:28] Israel, an important conversation. I'm [11:29] going to be moderating and hosting it. [11:31] And [11:33] will be Josh Hammer of the Josh Hammer [11:35] Show and the senior editor-at-large of [11:38] Newsweek, a very important public [11:40] intellectual and he has a lot to say on [11:42] this topic. Dr. David Wurmser, who is [11:45] the who's a senior analyst for Middle [11:47] East affairs at the Center for Security [11:49] Policy in Washington, D.C., one of the [11:50] great experts in the Middle East. He [11:52] also served in multiple presidential [11:54] administrations in the US and uh [11:57] in the National Security Council. He's a [11:58] real expert on these matters. [12:00] And Pastor Rob McCoy, who was Charlie [12:03] Kirk's pastor and faith mentor, [12:06] traveled around with Charlie a lot and [12:08] also co-founded Turning Point USA Faith, [12:11] uh and a very important leader in the [12:13] America First movement. He really has [12:14] his finger on the pulse of where that [12:16] movement is going on Israel. And this is [12:18] going to be a very important [12:19] conversation. You can sign up for this [12:21] by going to israel365.com/americafirst. [12:25] You should find that link in the [12:26] description of this video or uh [12:29] you can uh you can also sign up for it [12:31] by clicking this uh or by scanning this [12:33] QR code. [12:35] And uh you can register for the webinar. [12:38] And if you can't make it at 1:00 p.m. uh [12:42] Eastern time on Wednesday, sign [snorts] [12:44] up anyway because anyone who signs up, [12:47] if you sign up and don't attend, you [12:49] will automatically be emailed the full [12:52] webinar after it's concluded. So, you'll [12:55] you could watch the webinar on your own [12:57] time. So, register for the webinar [12:59] whether you can make it or not. Uh it's [13:01] going to be a very important [13:01] conversation with some very uh very [13:03] elite uh minds, very elite thinkers on [13:07] the topic. And I'm looking forward to [13:09] it. So, that's Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. Will [13:11] America First stand with Israel? Let's [13:13] get back to our subject at hand. [13:17] So, [13:19] um [13:20] Trump for for good measure, his response [13:23] to all of this is uh [13:26] President Trump spoke to Prime Minister [13:27] Netanyahu [13:29] uh yesterday and he put out a tweet a [13:32] well, he put out a tweet that says, "For [13:34] Iran, the clock is ticking." Let's take [13:36] a look at this uh short clip from Fox [13:38] News. [13:40] Most quote, "For Iran, the clock is [13:42] ticking and they'd better get moving [13:44] fast or there won't be anything left of [13:46] them. Time is of the essence." Earlier [13:50] today, the president spoke with Israeli [13:51] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the [13:53] phone. Iran at the center of that call. [13:56] Reports say the US and Israel are [13:58] preparing for possible strikes as a [14:00] peace deal prospect stalls. Good [14:03] afternoon, I'm Rich Edson in Washington [14:04] and this is Fox News Live. The Navy is [14:07] keeping up its pressure campaign against [14:09] Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM [14:11] says US forces have now redirected 81 [14:14] commercial vessels and disabled four [14:16] more in its blockade. There are big [14:19] questions around what happens next in [14:20] the conflict. Senator Lindsey Graham has [14:22] a suggestion. [14:25] I think we hit a wall on deal making. I [14:28] would encourage the president look at [14:30] reducing Iran's military capability even [14:32] further. They've been dramatically [14:34] weakened, but there's still targets that [14:36] could weaken them more militarily. And I [14:39] would also keep the embargo on to weaken [14:41] their economy. Right now, I think [14:43] they're trying to wait us out. I think [14:45] they're playing games. And in the words [14:47] of the president, I think they're crazy. [14:49] I think he's right. [14:50] Now, the president just got back from [14:52] his trip to China, which he called a [14:53] great success. We have Fox team coverage [14:56] of it all. Alex Hogan is standing by at [14:58] the White House, but first Fox Business [15:00] Correspondent Ashley Webster is [15:01] reporting live from Tel Aviv with the [15:03] latest there. Ashley? [15:07] Yeah, good evening to you, Rich. Israeli [15:09] Prime Minister Netanyahu talking with [15:11] President Trump earlier today uh for [15:13] about 30 minutes. We don't have all the [15:16] details, but as you pointed out, the [15:18] president posting on Truth Social that [15:20] the clock is ticking and the time is of [15:22] the essence. It's the same line of [15:25] statements that we've heard for a number [15:27] of weeks now. Benjamin Netanyahu calling [15:30] a meeting of the security cabinet, his [15:32] security cabinet, but that was ordered [15:35] before he spoke with President Trump. So [15:38] clearly trying to get a sense of where [15:40] do they go next? And that is the big [15:42] question. We do have reports that say [15:44] the US and Israel are undergoing the [15:46] most intense preparations for these [15:48] renewed attacks against Iran since the [15:51] ceasefire was agreed last month. But [15:53] Iran's foreign minister [15:54] There you There you have it. So they're [15:56] preparing for war, the US and Israel [15:58] together. [15:59] And but you notice he also said there [16:01] that this trash talking from Trump, you [16:03] know, talking about how there's not much [16:04] time and it's going to be really bad for [16:06] them if they don't sign a deal. We've [16:08] been hearing this for weeks. [16:10] And the Iranian regime is playing [16:14] it as follows. They're like, "Okay, [16:17] we might get bombed again. He might [16:19] start attacking again. [16:21] They're going to start attacking [16:22] infrastructure sites. The whole thing is [16:24] going to be to get them back to the [16:26] table to capitulate and give into give [16:28] into the demands. [16:30] But in the end of the day, [16:32] if unless there's a ground invasion, [16:34] they are confident that they can hold [16:38] firm and that they can survive, they can [16:40] hang on as a regime. [16:42] And that's what all that [16:44] all that stuff about having guns and the [16:47] people being rally, you know, being [16:48] trained to carry guns and giving out [16:50] having gun kiosks to give out guns to [16:53] the population. That's all that whole [16:56] propaganda move is to discourage a [16:58] ground invasion. [17:00] That's That's where I think this is [17:02] going from the Iranian perspective. You [17:04] know, a fuller account of Trump's [17:06] warnings. Trump warns Iran's clock is [17:08] ticking, move faster, there won't be [17:09] anything left. [17:11] President Trump renewed his stern [17:13] warnings for Iran to come to peace and [17:15] end its nuclear weapons aspirations. The [17:17] clock is ticking. Time is of the [17:18] essence. [17:22] The president has also had a call with [17:23] Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday. [17:25] Quote, "Our eyes are also open regarding [17:27] Iran." Netanyahu said, "I will speak [17:30] today [17:31] as I do every few days with our friend [17:33] President Trump. I will certainly hear [17:34] impressions from his trip to China and [17:36] perhaps other matters as well. There may [17:38] certainly be many There are certainly [17:39] many possibilities and we're prepared [17:41] for every scenario." [17:45] The call with Netanyahu came amid [17:46] regional intelligence assessments on [17:49] Iran that restarting of military strikes [17:52] might come might be coming because of [17:55] Trump's frustration with Iran's tactics [17:57] amid the closing of the Strait of Hormuz [17:59] and the rejection of his demand to give [18:00] up nuclear weapons aspirations. [18:04] The prevailing assessment inside Iran is [18:05] that President Trump may resort to [18:07] restarting military action and Tehran is [18:09] now deliberately pursuing a strategy of [18:11] deception and delay with the hopes that [18:13] buying time will complicate any return [18:15] to war. Two regional intelligence [18:18] officials told Fox News. [18:20] They believe that the Iranian regime [18:22] thinks it can delay developments and [18:24] stretch the crisis out for at least two [18:25] more weeks. He's always delay, stretch [18:28] out, so that the situation could become [18:30] more difficult for Trump to restart the [18:31] military campaign both politically and [18:34] operationally. [18:35] These sources say Iranian officials are [18:37] looking at the World Cup and America's [18:38] 250th anniversary as a backstop that [18:41] could work in their favor. You see, [18:42] they're always looking down range like [18:44] what's the next destination on the [18:45] calendar. [18:47] They knew that he wasn't going to attack [18:48] while the the Xi Jinping meeting was [18:51] going on or was or was or was imminent. [18:54] And now they're looking at the July 4th [18:57] celebrations, the World Cup that's [18:58] coming [18:59] because they know that Trump doesn't [19:01] really want to do this. And that's the [19:02] fly in the ointment here. I know look [19:04] you know, Trump has done so many great [19:06] things and we know that Iran has been [19:08] hammered really badly. [19:10] But I've been saying since the [19:11] beginning, it's not so clear that the [19:13] regime is going to fall this way. [19:15] Especially when he's saying that the [19:17] goal of the strikes is to get them to [19:18] agree to this or agree to that. You got [19:21] he's got to stop all this. They're not [19:22] going to agree to anything. There's no [19:24] they agree. [19:26] It has to be taking down the regime. And [19:28] unless you're willing to do that, this [19:30] is not going to end the way we all hope [19:32] it will. [19:33] They could get beaten and battered and [19:35] they can rebuild. [19:37] They have allies. China, Pakistan. They [19:40] have people who will help them, Russia. [19:43] And they will rebuild. [19:45] And after Trump is gone, they will have [19:47] a more favorable government in [19:48] Washington. [19:49] This is the problem here. Trump also [19:52] tweeted out this or I'm sorry, posted on [19:54] Truth Social with no comment. He just he [19:57] posted this very [19:59] uh strange-looking meme. It's an [20:01] American flag superimposed over the [20:03] Middle East with all these arrows from [20:06] UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, [20:10] uh Afghanistan, all these arrows [20:13] pointing at Iran, these red arrows. What [20:15] exactly does it mean? Who knows, but he [20:17] posted that uh last night. [20:21] Um so, there's a lot of a lot of [20:23] saber-rattling going on. We also have [20:25] voices from the America First movement [20:27] that are saying that it's going to be, [20:29] you know, all hell's going to break [20:30] loose and it's going to be a revolution [20:31] against Trump uh within the America [20:34] First movement if there are American [20:36] troops on the ground. [20:38] And uh you know, it puts Trump in a [20:40] tough spot. And you know, the sad part [20:42] of this whole thing is that [20:44] is that none of this was necessary. None [20:47] of this was really necessary because had [20:49] there not been a ceasefire at all, and [20:50] had they just you know, moved forward, [20:52] take Kharg Island, really take down the [20:54] regime. If they'd actually pressed [20:56] forward to destroy the IRGC and and [20:59] cause regime collapse, [21:02] uh that [21:04] you know, had they just not gone to a [21:05] ceasefire, this whole thing might be [21:08] much, much further along. And all of [21:10] this delaying, all of the you know, the [21:13] Pakistani efforts to delay and prolong [21:16] the ceasefire that have been so [21:18] effective has made life more and more [21:20] difficult for Trump. With every passing [21:23] day, closing line, just to repeat myself [21:25] again, with every passing day that the [21:28] ceasefire or [21:29] or the advances towards regime change, [21:33] real regime change, real regime [21:35] collapse, [21:36] the longer that goes on, the more time [21:39] plays in the favor of the regime [21:40] actually surviving. [21:42] So, I don't want to be a pessimist here. [21:44] Uh this is still certainly a situation [21:47] that that we can win. [21:50] But, [21:52] all of this delaying is only making it [21:53] more difficult for that to happen. All [21:55] right, that's all I have to say with [21:56] this one. I'll be back with the next [21:57] update as soon as I have something to [22:00] say. God bless. Thanks for watching.
